1998: Harvey Bloom wrote "Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general. Who can say what form of wiring will prove best at any given moment? Cybernetics and computer culture, for example, may favor a somewhat autistic cast of mind" (Armstrong, 2012, pp. 9-10).
1999: Judy Singer stated "For me, the key significance of the Autistic Spectrum lies in its call for an anticipation of a politics of Neurological Diversity, or what I call 'Neurodiversity'. The Neurologically Different represent a new addition to the familiar political categories of class/gender/race and will augment the insights of the social model of disability" (Armstrong, 2012, p. 10).
Since the late 1990s, the concept of Neurodiversity is gathering momentum and spreading to include other categories of disability including learning disabilities (LD), intellectual disabilities, mood disorders, attention deficient disorders (ADD/ADHD), and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) (Armstrong, 2012, p. 10).
Implications of Neurodiversity in Education
The concept of neurodiversity in the classroom challenges us as educators to think in terms of celebrating human diversity rather than in terms of remediating deficits. We are now recognizing that the brain is more like a rainforest than a computer. Within the rainforest, we see "growth, decay, competition, diversity, and selection" (Armstrong, 2012, p. 12). The brain has the ability to redirect growth and create bypass approaches that result in areas of strengths being used to diminish areas of weakness. From this perspective, we can come to understand why certain "disorders" remain in the gene pool even though evolutionary theory would state that those that are "weak" should die out as a species. If we, as educators, take this ecological approach, we can view students as a component of the ecosystem that is rare and beautiful and strong enough to survive rather than something that is damaged or weak. Our approach can become one where we look to find and nurture the strengths that allow a rare species to survive.
In ecology, rare species often need a specific environment to survive. As educators, rather than thinking in terms of repairing or changing the student or giving students strategies to function, we shift our focus to discovering what are the student's unique ecological requirements for optimal growth. We then put in place differentiated approaches that foster that growth (Armstrong, 2012, pp. 11-12).
Regulation is important for learning and environment will play a factor in a student's ability to regulate. When we work to create the optimal learning environment for a student we are helping with the regulation process. Approaching learning from a Positive Niche Construction approach, allows us as educators to take charge of the student's environment and create the environment that will set the stage for a student to self-regulate. When we do not create the right environment, the body and mind may become so disregulated that the child cannot function or learn in the classroom. It is important to recognize that self-regulation sits in the middle of a larger social context and this needs to be factored in when using the strategies that are included on this site.
Positive Niche Construction
"Since the days of Darwin, scientists have emphasized the importance of natural selection in evolution - the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. In natural selection, the environment represents a static entity to which a species must either adapt or fail to adapt. In niche construction, however, the species acts directly upon the environment to change it, thereby creating more favorable conditions for its survival and the pass on of its genes. Scientists say now that niche construction may be every bit as important for survival as natural selection" (Armstrong, 2012, p. 13).
"We see many examples of niche construction in nature: a beaver building a dam, bees creating a hive, a spider spinning a web, a bird building a nest. All of these creatures are changing their immediate environment in order to ensure their survival. Essentially they're creating their own version of a "least restrictive environment" (Armstrong, 2012, p. 13).
Armstrong, 2012, suggests seven components to positive niche construction for students who are neuro-diverse. These are listed below and then explained in more detail in the video below.
Strength Awareness
Positive Role Models
Assistive Technologies and Universal Design for Learning
Strength Based Learning Strategies
Human Resources
Positive Career Applications
Environmental Modifications (Armstrong, 2012, p. 14)
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The Evolution of the Concept of Neurodiversity
Implications of Neurodiversity in Education
The concept of neurodiversity in the classroom challenges us as educators to think in terms of celebrating human diversity rather than in terms of remediating deficits. We are now recognizing that the brain is more like a rainforest than a computer. Within the rainforest, we see "growth, decay, competition, diversity, and selection" (Armstrong, 2012, p. 12). The brain has the ability to redirect growth and create bypass approaches that result in areas of strengths being used to diminish areas of weakness. From this perspective, we can come to understand why certain "disorders" remain in the gene pool even though evolutionary theory would state that those that are "weak" should die out as a species. If we, as educators, take this ecological approach, we can view students as a component of the ecosystem that is rare and beautiful and strong enough to survive rather than something that is damaged or weak. Our approach can become one where we look to find and nurture the strengths that allow a rare species to survive.
In ecology, rare species often need a specific environment to survive. As educators, rather than thinking in terms of repairing or changing the student or giving students strategies to function, we shift our focus to discovering what are the student's unique ecological requirements for optimal growth. We then put in place differentiated approaches that foster that growth (Armstrong, 2012, pp. 11-12).
Regulation is important for learning and environment will play a factor in a student's ability to regulate. When we work to create the optimal learning environment for a student we are helping with the regulation process. Approaching learning from a Positive Niche Construction approach, allows us as educators to take charge of the student's environment and create the environment that will set the stage for a student to self-regulate. When we do not create the right environment, the body and mind may become so disregulated that the child cannot function or learn in the classroom. It is important to recognize that self-regulation sits in the middle of a larger social context and this needs to be factored in when using the strategies that are included on this site.
Positive Niche Construction
"Since the days of Darwin, scientists have emphasized the importance of natural selection in evolution - the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. In natural selection, the environment represents a static entity to which a species must either adapt or fail to adapt. In niche construction, however, the species acts directly upon the environment to change it, thereby creating more favorable conditions for its survival and the pass on of its genes. Scientists say now that niche construction may be every bit as important for survival as natural selection" (Armstrong, 2012, p. 13).
"We see many examples of niche construction in nature: a beaver building a dam, bees creating a hive, a spider spinning a web, a bird building a nest. All of these creatures are changing their immediate environment in order to ensure their survival. Essentially they're creating their own version of a "least restrictive environment" (Armstrong, 2012, p. 13).
Armstrong, 2012, suggests seven components to positive niche construction for students who are neuro-diverse. These are listed below and then explained in more detail in the video below.